Tuesday 11th February 2014

Well today was a pretty uneventful day once again. I am trying to get all my tasks completed before the ship or helicopter arrives whenever that might be. It could be any day now so I want to be prepared and not caught out. First thing I did was track down a box large enough to fit my ice axe and tripod and then I packed these away into the UPE container. Next job was to complete a Fire Chief handover document and induction document. Once that was complete I went and did the geo-magnetic observations for this week. I am getting very good at it now and can do it pretty fast but it still takes about two hours and is quite tedious.

• First I have to take 8 snapshot recordings with the fixed magnetometer. 
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite on a fixed trigonometry mark, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the  magnetometer facing down.
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite at nulled at North, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the magnetometer facing down, and then I take eight snapshots of the magnetic variation.
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite at nulled at South, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the magnetometer facing down, and then I take eight snapshots of the magnetic variation.
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite on a fixed trigonometry mark, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the  magnetometer facing down.
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite at nulled at East, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the magnetometer facing down, and then I take eight snapshots of the magnetic variation.
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite at nulled at West, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the magnetometer facing down, and then I take eight snapshots of the magnetic variation.
• Then I take two readings with the theodolite on a fixed trigonometry mark, one with the magnetometer facing up and another with the magnetometer facing down.
• Then I do the whole lot again in reverse order.

As you can see there are a lot of very accurate readings to be taken and if you mess one up or breathe on the theodolite you mess the whole lot up and you have to start all over again. With that out of the way for this week I went back to the office to make a start on my annual report which when finished is going to be about eighty or so pages long.

Here are some reminders of the thirty seven years of the use of dogs at Mawson. The last of the Husky's were removed in 1993 to comply with the Antarctic Treaty.